Paul Dugdale
The Rolling stones : Havana moon in Cuba

"We want the world and we want it now!" This is how Jim Morrison, frontman of The Doors, screamed at the top of his lungs in the song "When the Music Is Over," composed in 1967 during the most intense and dazzling period of the aforementioned American rock group. The outcry effectively encapsulated not only the youthful anger and widespread protest of that historical period but also was the best statement of intent of a musical genre like rock that conveyed energy and aspirations for change. And it was precisely this famous line from a Doors' composition that came to mind while watching the film "The Rolling Stones: Havana Moon in Cuba," a faithful documentary of the concert held by The Rolling Stones in March 2016 in Havana, Cuba. This is because, as the entire story of the Rolling Stones can demonstrate, the rock language is so universal that it can even ignite an audience like the Cuban one, which was forcibly kept away from certain 'degenerate' music (as defined by the Cuban Castro regime in power since 1959). And how can one forget that in Italy, the two-decade Fascist dictatorship once considered jazz music as 'negroid' and therefore censorable...). It's obvious that by banning something, the allure of the forbidden is created and even in Cuba, clandestinely, people found ways to listen to foreign and dangerous music for the regime. Fortunately, in recent years, after the death of the Lider maximo, Fidel Castro, some easing of the repressive shield has been initiated (in the USA, the president was still Barack Obama) and thus listening to rock was no longer discouraged to the point that, after the thaw in diplomatic relations between Cuba and the USA (and many other Western nations), organizing and holding a concert by The Rolling Stones became feasible and no longer a science fiction hypothesis.

Given these general premises, the concert film (also released on CD and vinyl) becomes an unmissable document not only for fans of The Rolling Stones but also for anyone who considers rock music so hypnotic as to draw hundreds of thousands of people to a concert (back then, it was possible, and those who write long for the day when we can find ourselves in such a context again after Covid...). In my opinion, the strength of the film lies not so much in the imperishable Rolling Stones themselves but precisely in the audience (so numerous as to exceed a million people present, perhaps 1,200,000, and for the Rolling, it might be worthwhile as it already happened years ago in Rio de Janeiro with more than 2,000,000 present at the concert...). Faced with such numbers, historic events like the Monterey, Woodstock, and Wight festivals held between the late '60s and early '70s might now seem like concerts for a select few, but beyond the cold numbers, it's worth observing, in the case of the film under review, the vitality and reactivity of the audience towards the music performed by The Rolling Stones. The setlist (now classic and inclusive of the band's biggest and well-known hits) unfolds fluidly and seamlessly. There are essential moments like the performance of "Satisfaction" (certainly the young ones present have plenty of reasons to be dissatisfied...) or "Sympathy for the Devil" (a song deeply felt by those living in Cuba, an island where the cult of Santeria is widespread at a popular level). But the most suggestive moment, in my opinion, is represented by "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It)," which originally (composed and released in 1974) had all the air of being a somewhat submissive and retro declaration by a band that had taken on the role of mainstream while the general musical scene followed unpredictable evolutionary directions. Here in Cuba in 2016, however, it rises to the role of a liberating anthem for an audience that, finally, after decades of official censorship, can rush to attend the concert of their favorite musicians, members of a band that has long become the classic incarnation of rock and still able to sustain a concert of over two hours. It's obvious that in the film, the Rolling Stones appear aesthetically worn, now wrinkled, and in the case of Keith Richards and Charlie Watts, truly gray-haired. But they do not lack rock energy (perhaps due to a pact with Lucifer? Who can say...).

Yet the uncertainty remains about the factor of time, as next year marks the sixtieth anniversary of the band's formation, and assuming concerts with live audiences can take place again, I doubt whether the four surviving Rolling members will feel up to continuing at such a pace. Just to say, two years ago, Mick Jagger had to undergo heart surgery, and who knows what the doctors advised him... Perhaps even the Stones will have to take it easy and limit themselves to recording a studio album... That's why, given this uncertainty, it's worth watching the film "The Rolling Stones: Havana Moon in Cuba" again and agreeing with what other well-known champions of the rock verb once sang: Long live rock!